“He was ambitious,” Relam observed.
“Extremely,” Hadere agreed, nodding. “I reached the rank of commander and stopped. There was nowhere else to go. Ryker, on the other hand, I’m sure he dreamed of moving beyond the Assembly, of becoming something even greater. The next king of the Sthan Kingdom.”
“That makes sense,” Relam said slowly. “But why not act sooner?”
“Because he did not know how,” Hadere replied. “Remember, he had spent his life moving up the ladder in the Assembly. But there is no power ladder to the throne. It is inherited, father to son. He needed to not only gain support, but find a way to depose the sitting king and all potential heirs. So his aspirations were frustrated, and he had to wait.”
“Until D’Arnlo came along, looking for support to take the throne for himself,” Relam murmured. “It all makes sense, but we won’t know if it is the truth until we talk to Lord Thius.”
“You’re right, of course,” Hadere said quickly. “But trust me, that is what happened. I see no other reason why Ryker would join D’Arnlo’s scheme.”
“Anyway,” Relam continued hurriedly, aware of passing time. “There’s still more to the story. I haven’t told you anything about this morning’s battle.”
He outlined his confrontation with D’Arnlo, and how the lordlings had chosen to join him rather than the traitor. He spoke briefly of the fight, the many Citadel guards they had to overcome, and finally the duel of the masters. When he had finished, Relam sat back, quite out of breath.
“Stunning,” Hadere murmured. “You did well, your majesty. I am most impressed.”
“Yeah, me too,” Wil muttered. “What a fight. Wish that I could have been here.”
“The problem is, what do we do next?” Relam said, glancing at Oreius.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Relam turned in surprise to find the source of the low, bitter voice. Cevet was standing behind Relam, hands balled up in fists, staring at the ground.
“We go to arrest my father,” he said, looking up. “We need to do it before the Assembly meets this evening. Then, you can show up in his place and explain everything to them.”
“Cevet,” Relam said, making an uncertain little gesture with his hands.
“It has to be done,” the lordling replied, his jaw set. “And I’m coming with you.”
Relam nodded reluctantly. “I can’t stop you,” he said finally. “But this will be hard on all of us. I can’t imagine what it will be like for you.”
“I’ll manage,” Cevet replied curtly. “Let’s just get it over with.”
“As you wish,” Relam replied. “Commander Eckle, stay here and assist Narin with the cleanup. Any guards that were disabled or disarmed in the battle need to be held under guard until we decide what to do with them. Send for more of the palace guards as well. We’ll make this our new base of operations for the time being.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Eckle replied, bowing.
Relam looked around and his eyes fell on Yavvis and Tar, standing a little apart from the others and talking quietly. “Yavvis, Tar!” he called.
“Yes?” Tar said, turning.
“Help Narin get the Citadel back in order. Commander Hadere, lock down the city.”
“Again?”
“Again,” Relam agreed, nodding. “If there are more traitors in our midst, we can’t let them get away. Keep the city locked down until I give the word. Nobody goes in or out, even through the harbor.”
“Understood, your majesty.”
“Cevet, Oreius, you’re with me. And you four,” he added, addressing his personal guards. He turned to face the lordlings. “Sebast, you and the others go home to your parents. Tell them what happened here, but don’t mention Thius yet.”
“Are you sure?” Sebast asked. “You don’t want to wait until they are all gathered at the Assembly?”
“No,” Relam said, shaking his head. “I’m expecting resistance from the great lords, particularly your father. I want you to start leaning on them now, start persuading them to follow me.”
“I’ll do it,” Sebast promised. “Whatever it takes.”
Relam flashed a grateful grin at the lordling. How quickly things had changed since their days as cadets. “Thanks, Sebast. Now,” he said, turning back to the group he had selected to go to the Thius estate. “It’s time to pay Lord Thius a visit.”
Chapter 45
Cevet’s home was on the River Road, close by the palace itself. It was a wealthy neighborhood, certainly, but not quite as impressive as the domains of the four great lords. The Thius house was the largest and most well-appointed on the block, situated on a lot that was slightly deeper than the others due to the curvature of the river’s path to the sea. The house itself stretched from one end of the lot to the other, three stories of stone and marble with a shingle roof. A smooth stone path ran from the road to the front door, flanked by narrow bands of grass and a pair of splashing fountains.
“Not bad,” Oreius murmured as they passed between the fountains. “A spot of color would do this place a world of good though.”
“Stay focused,” Relam muttered out of the corner of his mouth.
“Sorry,” Oreius replied. “Cevet, are you sure your father will be home?”
“I don’t know where else he would be,” the lordling replied, shrugging.
“Then I guess we better knock,” Relam decided, stepping up onto the front porch. He reached out with his right hand, grasped the heavy metal knocker, and slammed it down three times.
The small group waited there, frozen in time and space, waiting for the moment when the door would open and the confrontation would begin. Several seconds passed. Then, finally, Relam heard someone approach, slide the bolt securing the door back, and turn
